The black eyes that had deeply impressed him were now lightly closed.
The delicate little face lost its sharpness, appearing extra tranquil in sleep.
Jing Yu had never thought that a person's eyes could bring such a stark contrast to others.
Perhaps he had been staring for too long, for in the next instant those closed eyes suddenly opened, and he once again saw that familiar hint of cool indifference within.
The woman leaning back in her seat seemed momentarily stunned as she met his gaze, then slowly lifted her head.
"We... met a few days ago."
It was not a question, but a certainty.
For Tang Shu, who never forgot a face, this memory was still fresh. What's more, the man before her had extraordinarily handsome features, making him the most memorable person she had ever encountered.
The movie was still playing, and the male lead character was performing a soothing piano piece, which suddenly became the background music.
Jing Yu found himself observed by those pair of eyes, and his throat made an imperceptible movement.
The spilled drink, the sleeping, the alert eyes...
If he hadn't had precision in his judgment, he might have really thought this woman was flirting with him.
"You... your cola spilled on my sneakers."
Jing Yu said.
Tang Shu looked toward her left hand and saw the black drink dripping drop by drop onto her black sneakers; due to the similar colors, she couldn't tell how much had actually spilled.
She weighed the drink, which seemed much lighter than before.
The moment was awkward for a spare second, and Tang Shu cleared her throat lightly as she met Jing Yu's deep gaze, feeling unreasonably guilty under his scrutiny.
"Sorry, are your shoes okay?"
"They're fine."
Jing Yu withdrew his gaze and looked towards the movie screen, where the story had entered its final phase, and the female painter finally met the pianist, embracing him by the lake.
As the end credits began to play, the lighting technician turned on the main lights of the cinema, and the audience gradually started to get up and leave.
Jing Yu's mother finally showed a smile, "This movie is so wonderful! It has beautiful artistic conception, and the piano pieces are very pleasant to listen to, plus it has a happy ending with everyone reunited!"
"Have you had enough fun?"
"No! I want to see more!"
"..."
Jing Yu, who hardly watched the film, twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to retort something, but ended up sighing and said nothing.
Tang Shu, who still wanted to apologize, saw that the two were "chatting happily," hesitated for a moment, and then followed the crowd out of the auditorium.
The other party hadn't mentioned compensation, so that seemed to suggest the incident wasn't... too serious?
***
Fifteen minutes later.
Tang Shu once again bought a ticket, took a pair of 3D glasses from the staff member at the checkpoint, and entered the auditorium for the second time.
After she sat down, someone else took the seat next to her.
She glanced sideways unintentionally, and once again met those deep eyes.
Tang Shu: "..."
Jing Yu: "..."
The two nodded in acknowledgment, settled down, and watched the movie.
This time they chose an international science fiction action blockbuster. The 3D effects and the protagonist's thrilling abilities kept Tang Shu completely engrossed.
She munched on popcorn throughout, without a hint of sleepiness.
Finally finding a story she liked, Tang Shu thought.
After two movies, it was already noon, and after a casual meal in the mall, she was convinced that stories of this world were more interesting than Damo's storybooks, so she dived back into the cinema.
Until... three in the afternoon when she encountered Jing Yu for the fourth time.
By coincidence, they were seated next to each other again, and this time, the man didn't have the woman who claimed to be his "mother" with him.
Even Jing Yu was somewhat surprised. After watching three movies with his mother, he was finally picked up by his father. Figuring he had nothing else to do, he planned to watch another movie to pass the time, unexpectedly bumping into the same person for the fourth time.
Before Tang Shu could nod and greet him again, he spoke up.
"My shoes are a bit sticky."
"... Shall I compensate you with new shoes?"
Jing Yu's eyes fell on the popcorn in the seat next to him, and he pondered, "If you want to express your apology, you could buy me a drink when we leave."
Tang Shu was somewhat slow to react. In the morning, her "invited" shoes had a drink, and she was doing it again in the afternoon—what kind of logic was that?
However, she was still willing to apologize in such a way.
"Alright."
She agreed readily.
The movies being shown that October were lively, perhaps due to the big National Day release, and even mid-month, the screenings were still packed.
Art films, foreign blockbusters, domestic comedy films—one after another, enough to entertain someone bored from midnight till the next midnight.
By the time this comedy film ended, it was already five-thirty in the afternoon.
The two of them went to the cinema's lounge area side by side, and Tang Shu looked straight at the counter where the popcorn was sold, asking the person beside her.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Coke," Jing Yu blurted out without thinking.
Then he added two words, "Large one."
Tang Shu nodded and soon bought two Cokes from the counter, one large and one medium.
"Dear customer, please help yourself to a straw."
Following the cashier's suggestion, she laid her eyes on the colorful assortment of straws before her, with a look of curiosity.
With a mind to try everything once, she took one straw from each of the two different containers and left.
As she turned to leave, the cashier watched her back with a teasing and meaningful look.
The waiting area.
Jing Yu had finished a phone call, and now had a Coke and a straw in front of him.
"Thank you."
He took the drink, and unintentionally looking up, he noticed Tang Shu inserting the couple's double straw into the medium-sized Coke in front of her.
"..."
Normally composed, Jing Yu found his composure shaken by the sight before him.
Tang Shu, who was examining the purpose of the straws, caught a glimpse of his unusual gaze, "What's wrong?"
Her large eyes, clear with confusion, maybe because he had interrupted her train of thought, also seemed to hold a trace of bewilderment.
Three words unexpectedly popped into Jing Yu's head—kind of cute.
He confirmed her action was indeed out of curiosity and couldn't help but find it amusing, then he diverted the topic.
"Nothing, how are the medical herbs I bought for you last time?"
"Not bad. While they can't compare with the effectiveness of fresh herbs, the Processing Techniques were professional enough to ensure minimal loss of potency," she replied.
Tang Shu stopped focusing on experimenting with the two-headed straw and became eloquent when it came to the Poison Physician Technique.
While Jing Yu was not an expert in medical arts, he was well-informed. By the time they had finished their drinks, their conversation about the efficacy of medical herbs gradually came to an end.
As they were about to part, his deep eyes once again fell upon the couple's straw, and he let out a laugh.